Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-04-01
LETTER From GEORGIA.
ITEMS ABOUT AUGUSTA PEOPLE THERE
DIR. sTRICKLER's FINE CHURCH-A
BUSY PAsTOR-HENRY w, GRADY,
sc, &C., sc.

Correspondence of the Staunton VINDIcAToRl
ATLANTA, GA, March 28-I think I
can send the VINDICATOR some items in
this Georgia letter that will be almost
like Augusta county personals. L went in
to take a look, the other day, at the new
church of the Rev. DIR. G.. B. Str ickler,
the ''late lamented" pastor of Old Tink-
ling Spring church. He and his congrega-
ton may well be proud Of it. 1t is among
the handsomest, largest, and most COM
plete churches in the South, and cost $685.
900 to build and furnish it; is built of
granite and brick, has beautiful audi
ence room, seating capacity LOO; hand
some lecture room which will seat 400 or
more, and adjoining, in the basement,
separate rooms for infant class, furnished
with little chairs all numbered, and bible
class, PASTORS study, a cook room, and an
other class room, all in the base ment:
The church is located on a fashionable
street, opposite the white limestone, one
million dollar new State capitol. and it is
to be hoped that now and then these wild
Georgia legislators will find their way
across the street to where they can hear
some of the unadulterated old Virginia
Presbyterian gospel. 1t wont hurt them.
[ understand the membership Of this
central" church is over 600 and the Sun
day school $50, and it takes half of every
day for the pastor to get around with his
visiting. Last year he made 1900 visits,
and this year it will take $500 to get
around right, for there haye been 200
members added to the congregation since
he came. Mrs. Stricken is said to be a
pretty good visitor too. She made over
800 visits last year. did not get these
figures from the pastor himself, but I think
they are about correct.
In the congregation I have recognized
several former Staunton people: Capt. C..
s. Arnall and Mrs. Arnall, Miss Jennie
Stricken and Mr.. John A. Edmondson,
Rev. DR.. J. N. Craig and his family have
also pew in this church. You recollect
DR.. Craig's Office of Home Missions has
State agency of the Valley Mutual here,
and John Edmondson is lis active assis-
tant. Capt. A. has recently been appoln-
ted a member of the Advisory Board of
the Stonewall Jackson Charlottesville
Association and expects to realize quite
sum IN this State for this battle monu-
ment. I have met several prominent
Georgians who were in the battle and
they are in for the monument. and down
for it too.
But I am not quite done with the
Central church yet. After its COM
pletion, there was debt of SIS 500 left on
it. The male members Of the church got
together Wednesday night and determined
to pay it off. They were not long in sub
scribing 81, 300. and suppose the remain
der is made up by this time by those who
were not present.
have met here a man who is perhaps
better known and Yields more influence in
Atlanta than any other ore man in the
city, and whose name has recently become
familiar, not only to the readers Of the
VINDICAToR, but to the whole country
l allude to III. W. Grady, the editor of
that great southern journal, the Atlanta
''Constitution, whose eloquent speech
before the New England Association
in New York last winter your readers
will rec0llect to have seen at the time in
the VINDICATOR.
AS man now of national reputation,
and one whose name is frequently men,
toned in connection with the next Vice
Presidency, you would doubtless like to
hear something about him. He is man
of average size and height, about 35 years
of age, smooth shaven face with a pecu-
liarly pleasant expression in it indicating
withal a great deal Of 6rmness and energy
of character. They say here Grady is not
afraid to undertake anything he wants to
do, and the people laugh now about his
boldness in adjourning the legislature to
get up jollifcation when Cleveland was
elected. 1t was at the close of the long
days of suspense when it was thought the
manipulators were trying to count New
York out. The news came that it was all
right and the Democracy had won. Grady
appeared on the street and noisy. jolly
crowd soon gathered around him. The